I Swear This Time I Mean It
by EmptySequence
Summary: Hardison is out doing geek stuff, Nate and Sophie are "moving furniture", and Parker is bored. Eliot comes along, which turns into a movie theater adventure that blossoms into something much more.  Previously Boredom, Pirates, and Parking Lot Kisses.
1. i just wanna hold your hand

Eliot rubbed his temples as he walked into the Leverage headquarters, the cabinet containing all the aspirin he could ever need only a room away. He continued walking, almost, _almost _to the door when he heard a bored voice calling his name.

"What, Parker?" Eliot asked through gritted teeth, turning to face the blonde thief.

"I'm _bored_," Parker sighed, twirling a bobby pin between her boney fingers. Eliot puffed out an angry breath.

"Then go find Hardison, and let me go get my damn _aspirin_," Eliot replied, and began to walk again. He looked up at the ceiling in exasperation, having heard Parker's light footsteps following behind him.

"But Hardison went to do geek stuff," Parker whined.

"What am I supposed to do, Parker? I'm not gonna be your damn source of entertainment when your bed buddy is gone," Eliot snapped, and Parker narrowed her eyes at him.

"What bed buddy? Whatever. Sophie and Nate are moving furniture and grunting _way_ to loud in the other room, and they won't come out," She explained, hopping up on the counter and watching Eliot search for his handy bottle of Advil.

"Parker, just…just go steal something," Eliot said, working extra hard to not blow up in the awkward young woman's face.

"I already did that, I'm _bored_," She repeated.

"I still don't know what you want me to do about it," Eliot replied, swallowing four pills at once and washing them down with lukewarm tap water.

"Take me to a movie," Parker suggested simply. Eliot turned to her slowly.

"A _movie_? Like in a theater? With people?" he asked in disbelief. Parker nodded.

"That new movie about ships and swords is out. I saw the commercial with the guy with the eyeliner," Parker explained, "I wanna see it. It has treasure and fish and stuff."

"You mean _Pirates of the Caribbean_? It's not about fish, Parker," Eliot replied, rolling his eyes and walking out of the room. Parker, once again, followed him.

"I still wanna see it. Take me, come on Eliot, it'll be _fun_," Parker said, grinning that loony grin of hers and slinking around in front of him, preventing him from walking further.

"I'm not going to some damn movie, Parker, get it out of your head," Eliot snapped, trying to get around her, but she moved with him, still blocking him. "Parker, move."

"Not until you take me to a movie," Parker said stubbornly, arching a brow at him. Eliot sighed, opening his mouth to say something, but closed it, turning around to walk back to the door. He grabbed her arm and his keys, growled a gruff "Come on.", then dragged her smiling face out the door.

* * *

><p>The theater was crowded when they arrived, the line spilling out the door. Eliot groaned.<p>

"Parker, the line's out the damn door, come on," he pleaded, gesturing to the growing line. Parker just grinned.

"We can sneak in through the back," she replied ,winking and hurrying out of his car. Eliot pinched the bridge of his nose, but followed her to make sure she didn't do anything rash.

Parker was at the back door, squinting at the lock she was picking with her bobby pin. Eliot made a face at her, kneeling down next to her.

"Do you even know which theater it's in?" Eliot asked gruffly, scowling at her. Parker shrugged.

"We'll see when we get in," she replied, and Eliot's scowl grew more prominent as he followed her through the back entrance.

Parker stealthily weaved her was through a narrow hallway that lead to the back, finally making it the main movie hall, looking up to see which played the new Pirate's film.

"Number 8," Eliot said, and Parker turned to grin at him, a giggle passing her lips as she skipped to the door. She disappeared into the darkness of the theater, and Eliot followed, not nearly as annoyed as he was earlier. Much to his surprise, he was enjoying himself, as he wasn't dwelling to much on his killer hangover headache.

"Parker?" Eliot whispered, and the petite blonde appeared in front of him. She grabbed his calloused hand in her warm one, dragging him to the seats she'd picked out in the third row, "Parker, we'll go deaf."

"So?" she asked innocently, plopping down. Eliot let out another sigh of annoyance, but sat down without another word, glancing at Parker's excited demeanor out of the corner of his eye.

He watched as the screen changed to the messages of silencing phones and babies, the theater going dark.

As the previews ended and the movie started, Parker whacked his arm in her excitement, saying, "Oh, it's starting!"

Eliot looked at her in amusement. The littlest things could excite her. Rather than watching the movie he could honestly care less about, he ran his hand through his long, just-straightened hair and watched Parker's smile widen and her eyes brighten, her eyes flitting around the screen, taking in every second of the film.

"Hey, Eliot? Can you go get some popcorn?" Parker whispered, biting her lip. Eliot nodded, getting up and walking out of the theater.

The lines had gotten considerably shorter, and he hurried into the shortest one, examining the menu with slight distaste. Movie theater food wasn't really his thing.

"How may I help you?" the girl at the counter asked, her eyes examining him.

"A medium popcorn and a ginger ale," he replied, pulling out his wallet as the girl turned away. A moment later, she slid him his order, leaning up on her elbow.

"So, what can I call you?" the girl asked.

"Gone," Eliot replied, giving her an annoyed look and grabbing his order, ignoring the shocked look on her face. Well, maybe if she lost the lip ring and the hair grease, they could talk.

"One popcorn, and a ginger ale," Eliot said as he sat down, handing Parker the food.

"Thanks," she said, pulling it from his hands excitedly, shoving a handful in her mouth. Eliot chuckled, a small smile gracing his lips as he watched her.

"Here, try and catch it in your mouth," Eliot said after a moment, snatching a piece of popcorn and waiting for her to open. She opened her mouth wide, giggling a distortedly. He tossed it ,and she caught it easily, munching on the buttery item happily.

"I have skills," Parker said, settling back down in her seat. Eliot smiled again, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He could get used to this.

* * *

><p>When the movie ended, Parker and Eliot strolled out of the theater, Parker babbling mindlessly about the film they just watched and the unrealistic qualities of it.<p>

"Parker, it's a fictional movie, of course it's unrealistic," Eliot laughed, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, adjusting the beanie on his head.

"It still could've had some realistic themes, I mean seriously. What type of pirate girl is going to be skinny and have hair like _that_? Or teeth?" Parker asked, rolling her eyes. Eliot chuckled again.

"Again, it was a _movie_," Eliot replied, licking his lips, salt still glazing them from the popcorn.

"Well, it's not like you'd know, you didn't watch any of it," Parker replied, stopping. She gave him a knowing look, arching an eyebrow again.

"I, well, it was a boring movie," Eliot stuttered, walking again, glaring ahead of him.

"I saw you looking at me, Eliot, I'm crazy, not _blind_," Parker answered, catching up to him, her converse-clad feet splashing in the puddles littering the parking lot. Eliot looked over at her, silently wondering how she could've seen him staring when she was so entranced in the movie the entire time, "You really thought I didn't notice?"

"You were watching the damn movie, how was I supposed to know?" Eliot growled, about to storm away when Parker pulled on his arm, stopping him.

"I never said I was mad," she said gently, staring at him with a small smile. Eliot didn't respond. Parker leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing a small kiss to his lips, pulling back and smiling again.

Eliot stared at her again, then wrapped a heavily muscled arm around her petite waist, pulling her closer to him.

"You're not an awful thing to stare at, Parker," Eliot replied, then brought her lips to his again, holding her chin between his thumb and index finger. Parker smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. She played with his long hair, which she'd always admired, moving her lips with his gently. Eliot had been on her mind from the day she'd landed on him at the Redskin's place, "In fact, you're a very nice thing to stare at."

Parker pressed her lips to his again, loving the feel, "I like your hair."

Eliot took his turn to smile, pulling back and brushing her hair out of her eyes. The streetlamps behind her caused her hair to look like it had an ethereal glow surrounding it, and her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed. He still had both arms around her, pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"C'mon, let's get back," Eliot chuckled, still holding her by her waist as they walked to his car.

"Do you think Sophie and Nate are done moving furniture yet?" Parker asked, looking up at him. Eliot snorted.

"Oh yeah, definitely," he replied, a small smile forming on his lips. Although he would've never found Parker to be such fun company, he had found himself thinking very differently. Oh yeah, very, very differently.

* * *

><p><strong>This was originally thinking to make this into a one-shot, but now I think I want to make it into an actual fic. Review and tell me if I should leave it, or if I should continue!<strong>

**-Holly :D**


	2. run, run as fast as you can

**Urgh, sorry for the grammatical errors last chapter, there were quite a few that I didn't notice until after I posted -.- anyways, since I got some positive feedback, I guess I'll continue with the story!**

* * *

><p>Parker spun around in her chair, pushing off on the table to gain more speed. She saw Eliot watching her out of the corner of her eye with a certain look on his face that made her squirm. She knew that look. That look meant he wanted kissy Parker again.<p>

Since their movie theater adventure, they had shared only one more kiss, and hadn't even made eye-contact since. It was frustrating Parker to absolutely no end. She really had a whole plan formed in her head the day she forced him to take her out, and mind you all, it had worked almost brilliantly. Minus the part where they ended up happily ever after. Two kisses did not satisfy Parker. No, no, they did not.

"Alright, what do you have for us today, Hardison?" Nate questioned as soon as he slid open the door, walking to his usual seat.

"Well, it's about James Manning, who's basically in charge of the string of small business collections. He gets the payout, always. His plans are always the same, get the company to trust him, hand over every single detail to him, and they always end up broke with a closed business. Now, Manning is just an all-around slimy douche bag. He takes all the insurance policies they take out on their businesses, and ends up getting the payout in his account, and the families are oblivious to it, until Manning is suddenly unsatisfied with their business, and gets the business shut down, then ups and leaves with all of their money, off to the next couple cities, and they get the bill for their now bankrupt business that they can't pay because they didn't get their insurance payoff."

"Well, Sophie, how badly have you always wanted your own makeup store?"

Eliot put his earpiece in, adjusting to the object now shoved into his ear. He grunted and fiddled with his tie, making sure his glasses weren't lopsided, then proceeded out of the kitchen and into the main Leverage headquarters, which were now redesigned in white and pink, makeup and perfumes decorating the place. "Maria & Co. Cosmetic Boutique" was on plaque, screwed tightly into the wall.

"Now, we posted the largest and brightest add, thanks to Hardison, on the billboard at City Hall, where Manning usually checks the newly opened business. Sophie went down yesterday, and made sure Manning wrote down our number, telling him about the money the fake company made and how much he could make. Parker, you're Sophie's assistant. Eliot, you're her lawyer to sign off all the contracts, and Hardison, you're going to be the personal stylist."

"What are you going to do, Nate?" Sophie asked, tapping her pen on the tabletop.

"Eh, register guy," he replied, getting up and walking out of the room. Parker raised a brow, but then was dragged up by a giddy Sophie, who was babbling about outfits and makeup.

Parker tried to back up when Sophie dragged her to her infamous closet, but Sophie blocked her way, pushing her forwards.

"Really, Parker, if you're going to be my assistant, you have to look the part," Sophie said, in a tone that made it sound as if anyone would know. Parker rolled her eyes, plopping down and spluttering and spitting when Sophie pulled down about five shirts, which seemed to be unsuitable, as Sophie tossed them at the floor, hitting Parker right in the face.

"S-Sophie," Parker pit out the sleeve of a shirt, "I don't- I don't think this is really- really necessary."

"Oh, but of course it is, here, put this on," Sophie grinned widely. Parker rolled her eyes, but slid on the floral, high waisted pencil skirt, her ass practically hanging out the back of the short skit. She wrinkled her nose. The skirt was form fitting, and was much to short, and Parker found herself severely missing her usual jeans. Sophie threw her a lacey yellow shirt and a pink satin scarf, ordering Parker to put them on. Parker obliged, then groaned when she looked in the mirror. She looked like a flowery rainbow barfed on her.

"Here, the finishing touch," Sophie typed in a code on the far wall, and Parker's mouth dropped open when the wall slid away, revealing a huge room, shoes lining every wall, and even more stacked up in the middle.

"Sophie, I think you have a shoe problem," Parker choked out. Sophie just grinned, practically skipping to the center of the room, squinting and counting down the unopened boxes until she found which shoes she was searching for. She pulled out a pair of black suede flats, and Parker breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really, Parker, I wasn't going to make you look like a stripper," Sophie said in exasperation, rolling her eyes. Parker looked down at the way too tight skirt and awkwardly low shirt, looking back at Sophie and giving her a look that said, _really?_

"Oh, stop being so overdramatic," Sophie snapped, dragging her out of the room again.

"Where are we going now?" Parker asked in worry.

"Makeup."

* * *

><p>When Parker was finished, her hair was curled and her makeup was applied in way that didn't make her look half-bad.<p>

"See? Not so bad," Sophie said. Parker followed her to the kitchen, rolling her eyes. In Sophie's world, it wasn't. To Parker, she looked like one of those swirly lollipops you get at Carnivals.

Eliot was walking out of the kitchen when they were walking in, and he stopped abruptly, taking in Parker's changed appearance, his breath caught in his throat and his jeans now highly uncomfortable.

"You- you look nice," Eliot finally said, clearing his throat.

"Oh wow, Sophie, you made me look ugly," Parker snapped, storming away.

"Go after her, you daft moron!" She heard Sophie say as she walked away. Wow. She didn't think she looked _that _bad.

Eliot hurried to find Parker, rolling his eyes. He'd said she looked _nice_, and the woman panics.

"Parker, Parker!" He called, jogging to catch up with her swift pace. He grabbed her arm, turning her around, "You look _beautiful._"

"Really? You don't think I look like an Oompa Loompa hurled on me?"

"No, I think you look perfect," Eliot said firmly. He leaned down, giving her a soft kiss. Parker grinned in appreciation, leaning into his lips, deepening the kiss.

"Why don't you look at me anymore, then?" Parker asked, looking up at him with big eyes. Eliot knit his brows.

"I, um, well, I thought you didn't want me to," he finished in a gruff voice. Oh wow. _That was _brilliant_, Spencer_! He thought, scowling. Parker just smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and playing with his hair.

"I like it when you look at me, it makes me feel pretty. It's one of my favorite things, besides money," Parker explained, and Eliot chuckled. He pressed another kiss to her lips, before grasping her hand and starting to walk back.

"C'mon, Manning'll be here soon," Eliot said. Parker smiled, loving the feeling of his rough hand in hers.

Moments later, Sophie was sitting at her 'desk', filling out fake documents, when someone knocked on the door.

"Parker, go," Sophie mouthed. Parker looked around in a daze.

"Oh!" she exclaimed after a moment, hurrying to the door.

"Welcome to the Cosmetic Boutique," Parker said in a monotone. Sophie and Eliot gave her sharp looks, and she then hurried to put on a highly fake smile, letting Manning in.

"James, how nice to see you again," Sophie drawled, standing up to shake his hand and give him a kiss on the cheek, "This is Hannah, my assistant, and Brad, my lawyer. Hannah, why don't you go get us some coffee?"

Parker rolled her eyes, but walked into the kitchen, grabbing some mugs and pouring the coffee. She stared out the window next to the fridge, out at the city. Sometimes she wondered what life would be like if she was normal, living out in the city. She'd try to picture the life she would have. She knew she would have a husband, and a newborn baby, and she'd work at a company that taught people how to rock-climb, because it was high up and she'd be on a bungee chord, which was the most normal thing for her.

Now, when she looked out the window, she saw that life, that baby, that job, and that husband, who now stood on the front porch of their high-end brownstone, giving her a kiss as she left for work. That husband, that man she'd want to spend the rest of her life with, was now registering as Eliot in her brain. The same long hair, the same clothes, that same goatee.

"Parker? Sophie wanted me to come and find you," Eliot's voice came from behind her. She turned away from the windowsill, nodding.

"Okay, yeah, sorry. I was thinking," she said, gathering up the mugs. Eliot took them from her hands, placing them back on the counter, then brought her lips to his, holding her around her waist. Her lips moved with his with ease, her arms around his neck, her finger running through his hair, pulling on it gently as he deepened the kiss.

"I think we need to get back," Parker said breathlessly when she pulled back to breathe. Eliot nodded, giving her one last tender kiss on the lips, smiling.

Parker grabbed the mugs again, handing one to Eliot, and rushed back to where Sophie and Manning were conversing.

"Sorry 'bout that, had some 'feminine stuff' to take care of," Parker said, smiling and chuckling in a fake manner. Eliot snorted, but covered it up as a cough. Sophie gave her a look of disbelief, then turned to Manning.

"I'm so sorry, she's, um, _special_," Sophie whispered the last word, then turned slowly to glare a Parker. Parker shrugged, then gave Eliot a sly look.

"Oh, it's fine, she can't help it, you know? Nothing to freak out about," Manning said with a kind smile, which was so blatantly fake that Parker had to snort, not even bothering to cover it up.

"Hannah, go get some air, I'll speak with you _later_," Sophie snapped, and Parker sighed, then walked out of the headquarters.

* * *

><p>Parker really only meant to walk down the hallway and back, but had ended up halfway across L.A. with no car and no idea where she was.<p>

"Oh, this is lovely, just what I need right now," Parker snapped at the sky, turning around the few times. She was in a very run-down area with some sketchy looking people, crappy cars and some burnt down buildings in view.

"You need help, pretty lady?" a man walked up to her, and Parker shook her head no.

"No, it's fine, really," Parker said, trying to walk away.

"I insist," the guy said.

"I said I'm _fine_," Parker snapped. The man gave her a cold look, then said something in Spanish, and a Range Rover pulled up, 4 men hurrying out and grabbing her, dragging her into the car. They shoved her inside, the Rover peeling out of sight before anyone could make a call.

Parker looked out the window, horrified to see that the windows were darkly tinted, and she couldn't even tell which direction they were going in.

Shit.

* * *

><p><strong>End chapter two! If there are any errors, I apologize o.o Please review! Can I get at least 3 before I continue? ^.^<strong>

**~Holly.**


	3. you need someone to put you right again

Eliot paced up and down the halls, glancing at the door every ten seconds, expecting Parker to come wandering through it any moment. Manning had gotten quite a few phone calls in the last ten minutes, then proceeded to apologize for the inconvenience and left.

"I'll be by tomorrow to sign those documents," he'd said, and then he was off.

Parker was a little clueless at times, but she never disappeared without letting anyone know first. Sophie had ordered her off, yes, but Parker also wasn't one to run off crying about it.

"Sophie, where the hell is she?" Eliot growled, and Sophie glanced at the door in worry.

"I found her!" Hardison called, rushing into the foyer, where Sophie and Eliot were sitting in worry, "She's at some old warehouse, it shut down a while back."

Hardison showed Eliot his phone, which he'd finally been able to get working to locate Parker. Her GPS had been damaged, which was what took Hardison so long, and what also worried Eliot.

"I know that place, real shifty. Why the hell would she be there? That's almost 45 minutes from here, walking distance," Eliot wondered aloud. Sophie paled.

"Eliot, I don't think she's there voluntarily," She stated, standing up swiftly and rushing into the back offices to inform Nate.

"Eliot, Eliot! Wait, man, we need a plan," Hardison said, "We can't just go barging in and _demand _Parker."

"Why not?" Eliot snapped, turning to continue walking.

"Because they could hurt her," Hardison called. Eliot stopped, then turned back reluctantly, knowing Hardison was right.

"Well, think of a goddamn plan, quick, or she'll be hurt anyways," Eliot replied roughly, glaring at him.

"Alright, here's what we do. We go, see what they want, offer a deal in exchange for Parker. If things don't go according to plan, Eliot, you bash in some heads and we snag Parker. Everyone clear on that?" Nate asked, and the three thieves before him nodded, "Let's go steal back Parker."

* * *

><p>The warehouse looked to be about 50 years old, and the area around it dreadfully shifty. Eliot grunted in disapproval when he saw the sight before him, ready to just run in a crack some bones, get Parker, and get the hell out of dodge.<p>

"Let's get this show on the road," Nate said, and they walked towards the warehouse, each of them glancing around in distaste.

"We've been expecting you," a voice said, and everyone stared forward. A man in all black, with a white apron on had the door open, and was watching them with a cold stare. Eliot's spine went rigid when he saw the smears of blood on the front of the mans apron.

A high-pitch scream of pain echoed from the warehouse, and Eliot advanced, but Nate held him back.

Eliot glared at Nate, but followed his instruction. They walked through the windowless door that was being held for them, their bodies tense.

Eliot practically growled, seeing red as he saw Parker tied to a chair in the center of the warehouse, cuts and bruises covering her face, dipping under the clothes, on the concealed skin of her torso. Her arms were bloody and bruised, and her skirt was on the floor next to her, her underwear pulled to her knees.

Sophie gasped, her hand shooting up to grasp Eliot's jacket.

"You were trying to screw me over, with those fake forms and that fake lawyer," Manning came from the shadows, his face red, "You were trying to take me down. Well, you can forget about that, you imbeciles, you're the ones who're going to be screwed. I have your pretty little friend, whatever her name is. How does that make you feel? The vulnerability? The thought of not knowing what could happen next? The uncertainty?"

"Just give her to us and we'll leave you alone, we won't pursue you and we won't take your…business…down," Nate tried to negotiate. Manning just gave him a sadistic smile, grabbing a scalpel and dragging it down Parker's arm, eliciting a cry of pain and strangled gasp.

"No, I think I'll keep her. Oh, well, here. I'll make _you_ a deal. I'll keep your this little kitten for my, eh…entertainment, let's say, and you don't ever go near my business again. I won't take anyone else from you're team," Manning replied, winking.

"Last chance to hand her over, Manning," Nate said simply, ignoring Manning's response.

"She's mine now," Manning replied, his features darkening. "Why won't you listen? I took her, she's _mine _now, and what's mine is _mine_! You can't take her from me, you can't take anything from me! Can't you see? I _own _her!"

"Manning, put down the knife, and just hand her over, don't hurt her, just give her back to us, and we'll leave you alone," Nate pleaded softly, trying not to provoke Manning, who had the scalpel to Parker's throat. Parker was whimpering softly, her eyes glassy.

"_No!_"

"Eliot, now!" Nate yelled, and Eliot, in seconds, had four of Manning's men on the ground, knocked out cold. The rest of his men held up guns, but Eliot was fast, knocking them clean out of their hands and throwing a few good punches and kicks. Manning kept screaming no, repeatedly, until he was finally quiet.

All of Manning's men were on the ground, and Eliot wiped the blood off his lip, turning to get Manning last. Manning, however, was nowhere in sight, and Nate came jogging back into the warehouse, obviously having been chasing the now absent Manning.

"He ran. I tried to get him, but he got in the Rover, almost ran me down," Nate informed them. Eliot shrugged it off, hurrying to where Sophie and Hardison were untying Parker, and Sophie had already pulled up her underwear. Eliot shrugged off his jacket, wrapping it around Parker and picking her up. From the naked eye, he could decipher almost all of her injuries, and found where to place his hands so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable.

"Nate, pull the car around, fast," Eliot ordered, then looked down at Parker, his chest constricting at her battered body. He brushed a matted, bloody lock of hair out of her face, cradling her closer to him.

"We can't take her to the hospital, Eliot, not unless we want her to get arrested. They'll recognize her," Sophie informed him with worry.

"I know," was Eliot's short response as he climbed into the van. Hardison was just looking at Parker with a pained expression.

"Is…are…are her hands hurt?" Hardison asked, his voice shaky. Eliot shook his head no, and Hardison grabbed one of Parker's hands, squeezing it softly.

"I have all the medical supplies for this type of stuff back at my apartment, but I'll have to check for a concussion, if she does have one, I'll need to make a quick run to the hospital," Eliot ground out, still fuming over Manning. He wanted to torture him the way Manning tortured Parker, only worse.

"What about a hospital outside of L.A.?" Hardison asked, looking at all of them.

"It's too risky," Sophie murmured.

Nate pulled to a rough stop outside of Nate's apartment, and Eliot hauled ass, hurrying up to his apartment, his team quickly behind him.

Eliot laid Parker on his bed gently, turning around to see where Sophie was.

"I need you to check her out, I don't want to violate her like that," Eliot whispered to Sophie, hoping she got what he meant. Sophie nodded, and Eliot left, shutting the door to his room.

"Hardison go to that back closet and get me all the medical supplies you can carry. You too, Nate," Eliot ordered. He ran to his medicine cabinet, pulling out different bottles of basically everything, hoping Parker could indicate any internal issues she was having.

"She doesn't have any vaginal trauma, so she wasn't raped. Anal trauma either. She has cuts though, and I'll tend to those in a moment," Sophie informed him after she walked out of his room. Eliot was slightly relieved.

Hardison and Nate carried their rather large load of medical supplies into Eliot's room, laying it out on his desk and bedside table.

"You guys can wait outside, I don't want Parker to panic when she wakes up. Sophie, you need to come with me, though," Eliot ordered. Sophie nodded, following him into his room. Eliot shut the door, wincing when he saw Parker.

"I'll undress her," Sophie said quietly.

"Can you rinse her off in the shower, and try and clean some of the wounds? There's rags and towels in the closet next to the sink." Sophie nodded at Eliot's request, and Eliot helped carry Parker to the bathroom.

He walked back out to where Hardison and Nate sat in silence, their expressions worried. The both jumped up, asking how Parker was.

"Sophie's just washing her off, cleaning some of the wounds. But Nate, you can't be serious! You _can't_ just let Manning run off," Eliot growled, glaring. Nate nodded.

"I know. We aren't. He's off the radar right now, but we're going to be searching everyday, and when we find him, him and his 'business' will be gone for good."

"Is he insane, or emotionally unbalanced or something?" Eliot asked after a prolonged silence.

"Says in his record that he's diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and is medicated for it. But after his little episode back at the warehouse, it's pretty obvious that he's been skipping his meds," Hardison replied.

"Eliot, we're ready," Sophie called, poking her head out the door of his room.

Parker was laid on his bed again, a fluffy red towel wrapped tightly around her small frame. Eliot smiled softly, noticing that it was his favorite towel. A pretty stupid observation, but he noticed it none the less. Sophie sat on the bed, gently unwrapping Parker's towel, putting on some latex gloves from one of the first aid kits.

Eliot rolled up his sleeves, hurrying to go wash his hands. He blotted them dry with a clean towel, snapping on some latex gloves and pulling out rubbing alcohol and his numbing kit. He sat behind parker on the bed, putting her head in his lap, and grabbed a q-tip from his kit. He quickly stuck it in the alcohol, then began cleaning one of the deep gashes on her cheek. Many wounds still had to be stitched and bruises had to be checked. Yeah, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Almost three hours passed, and Eliot was just finishing wrapping her ribs, which suffered a few fractures and bone bruising. The rest of her wounds had been sutured and tended to with band aids and antibacterial creams, and she was clear of a concussion.<p>

Eliot was taping the bandage when Parker began to stir, groaning in pain.

"Eliot? Sophie?" Parker rasped out, trying to sit up. Sophie gently pushed her back down, smiling softly.

"Don't move, Parker, you've got a lot of injuries," Sophie murmured, brushing Parker's wet hair out of her eyes. Parker squinted at her, but nodded.

"Give her some of the painkillers by the bed," Eliot told Sophie, and she obliged. He knew he had morphine in one of the kits laying around. He found it, hooking it up and starting a drip.

"I'm fine, I don't need morphine," Parker whispered after swallowing the pills. Eliot rolled his eyes.

"You will," Eliot assured her. He gently stuck the needle in, knowing she'd be relieved of most of the pain in a few moments. The painkillers began to kick in a few seconds later, but Parker stubbornly fought to stay awake, feeling around for Eliot's hand.

"Don't leave," she murmured, and Eliot promised he wouldn't. Sophie excused herself, slipping out of the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

"You promise?" Parker slurred.

"I promise," Eliot replied, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, tucking the covers over Parker's body, grasping her hand in his as he pale eyelids fluttered shut.

**Oh yeah, like a BOSS! Another update! I feel accomplished, an update a day so far! Anyways, Manning is such a DOUCHE! Obviously he'll reappear later in the story, but as for now, he's off the radar! The next few chapters are going to be happy, I promise. It's going to be focused on Eliot and Parker and all their cute fluffy moments and Parker's recovery, which she will be doing at Eliot's apartment ;) Oh, living with Parker…we'll see how that goes xD**

**-Holly :)**


	4. weave through my mind and hold on tight

**Ohmygod you guys! It's back! Here's the fourth chapter xx :3**

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><p>The following morning, Parker sat up groggily, wincing at the horrible ache that consumed her entire body. She looked at the nightstand, grabbing the two aspirin and water that laid on the table and popped them in her mouth.<p>

The smell of cooking breakfast wafted into her room. Bacon. Eggs. _Pancakes_. Parker hurried out of the bed, limping to the kitchen.

"Parker? What the hell are you doing out of bed?" Eliot asked in annoyance, rushing over to her and helping her stand.

"I smelled pancakes," she replied, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to steady herself. Eliot let out a snort and rolled his eyes, then helped her back to his room.

"Stay here, I'll bring you the food when it's ready," Eliot ordered, then returned to the kitchen, shutting the door softly behind him. Parker immediately stood up, deciding to snoop.

She first rummaged through his nightstand, finding an empty bottle of aspirin, a few pieces of paper with dates jotted onto them, and an empty wallet. Parker sidled to his dresser, finding nothing but clothes stuffed into the drawers. She huffed then looked under the dresser. Nothing.

She continued around the room, and she moved back to the nightstand. Sure enough, a loose floorboard lifted, and a simple black box was hidden there. She pulled it out, contemplating whether she should look in it or not.

Parker shrugged and opened it, finding pictures of a little boy in front of a trailer, a pretty woman with the same hair, same eyes as Eliot. A rough-looking man was also in the picture, distanced from the little boy and his mother. The little boy was obviously Eliot.

The box was stuffed with trinkets, pictures, a few maps, and notes. She dared not read the notes, just gazed at some of the wrinkled, old pictures, one catching her eye. Eliot was in a suit, probably about 17, next to a beautiful, model-esque girl with long brown curls and a satin blue gown on.

Parker heard the oven turn off, and she quickly shut the box, putting everything exactly where it had been, shutting the floorboard and moving the nightstand. She was curled up in his bed when he walked in, playing a little finger game she'd made up when she was younger. Eliot was smiling, carrying a tray with pancakes, bacon, and eggs, just like she'd smelled.

"Eat with me," Parker ordered gently, smiling back. Eliot sat down next to her, taking a bite of her eggs as she munched on bacon.

"Where did you live when you were younger?" Parker asked, realizing she knew absolutely nothing about him or his past. He was a very private person, just like Parker.

Eliot stared at her for a minute or two, his brow furrowed, before he responded, "Illinois."

"Why did you become a hitter?" Parker asked again, jumping to a completely different topic.

"I-"

"You don't have to tell me. I was just wondering. I don't really know anything about you," Parker cut him off. Eliot nodded.

"I think it was because it was exactly what my father didn't want," Eliot finally replied, carefully piecing together his reply. Parker nodded. She understood that.

"Why was he so mean?" Parker asked softly. Eliot looked startled at the accusation.

"He…he just was," Eliot said, "It's how he was raised I guess."

"Did he hit you? My dad hit me. And my mom. That's why I had to blow them up." Parker said simply. Eliot gave her one of his 'you're fuckin' crazy' looks.

"Yeah. Yeah, he did. I don't particularly want to delve into the past," Eliot told her pointedly. Parker nodded.

"Who was the first girl you ever had sex with?" Parker asked bluntly, changing the subject.

"What? Parker, what the-you just don't go-you can't just _ask _people that!" Eliot growled. Parker shrugged.

"I had sex with Randy Poorchston, when I was 15. He was an asshole afterwards. So I crashed his car into his house," Parker told him. Eliot sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Parker had finished eating, so Eliot put the tray on the practically empty nightstand.

"Why do you want to know about the past?" Eliot asked.

"I…I wanted to see if you had it better than I did," Parker muttered, her head down. Eliot nodded slowly, then sat up, rubbing her thin shoulders gently.

"It's all in the past. We have a family now, and I ain't ever gonna let you down if I can help it, okay?" Eliot said firmly, his accent thicker. Parker nodded and he pressed a light kiss to her jaw.

Parker tried to concentrate on his lips that were now trailing down her neck, but the girl in the picture was bothering her too much. Who was she? What happened to her? Parker felt Eliot's lips on her shoulder, and she sighed, and grasped his hand.

"Do you think I have a disease?" she asked suddenly, moving onto her next string of thoughts quickly, though the girl in the dress lingered in the back of her mind.

"No," Eliot murmured, moving back up to her neck.

"You call me crazy. And you say there's stuff wrong with me. _Is _there something wrong with me?" Parker asked, whining now. Eliot stopped the kisses immediately.

"No." He said firmly, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. When they pulled apart, she rested her head in the crook of his neck, his long hair feathering over her.

"Okay," she sighed, her long arms wrapped around his torso.

The aspirin started to wear off, and she shifted uncomfortably, trying to ignore the burn in her muscles, and the ache in her bones. Some of the wounds started to throb painfully, and Parker groaned.

Eliot snatched the bottle off of the table and handed her two more, helping her sip back the water.

"Eliot?" Parker muttered groggily, suddenly bombarded with exhaustion. He looked at her, waiting for her question. "Who was the girl in the blue dress? In the picture in the black box?"

"What? Shit. You went through my things?" Eliot growled, sitting up. Parker's eyes flew open to see Eliot's angered expression.

"I-I-" Parker tried to form a word, a sentence, _anything_, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"I'll call Sophie. She can come and get you and play nurse, and then you can go and snoop through all of her _shit_!" Eliot snapped, his voice on the brink of shouting. He exited the room, slamming the door behind him.

Parker felt the tears well up in her eyes, and roll down her cheeks. She wanted to call to him, scream for him to come back. She wanted to run to him and beg for forgiveness, kiss him, hug him. But her legs wouldn't cooperate, her exhaustion too hitting her with wave after wave. She refused to let herself drift off, instead just laid in the Eliot-scented sheets and cried, her tears wetting the pillow. She heard voices arguing in the hallway, and Sophie hurried into the room, kneeling next to parker.

"Parker, honey, can you hear me?" Sophie asked gently. Parker nodded. "We're going to come over to my house, okay? I'm going to take you there right now."

Parker heaved herself off the bed with the help of Sophie, who helped her stumbled to Sophie's car, Parker's vision blurred. She couldn't see Eliot, nor could she hear him. She felt the smoothness of Sophie's leather car seats, and she rested her head against the window, tears still flowing.

"Parker, what on earth happened?" Sophie asked, moving her knotted hair out of her face.

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault again." Parker replied, curling up into a ball on the seat.

"Dammit Eliot, what did you do?" Sophie growled quietly, flooring the gas pedal and speeding away from the hitter's apartment.

* * *

><p>Eliot began to throw things, began to hit things, began to shout and tear and break. He couldn't get the image of Parker out of his mind. Her cheeks, wet with tears, her eyes bloodshot and distant. Her battered body stumbling out of his apartment. He wanted to take it back, to have her back. He picked up the pillow that wasn't soaked with tears, and breathed in her scent.<p>

He tried to reason with himself. She went through his things, without his permission. But she's a thief, it's in her nature. Eliot growled, sitting down on the bed, burying his face into his hands. She's fragile. This could break her. He'd worked so hard to make her happy and then he yanked it all away. He was like a douchey owner who bought his dog a toy and then let him have it, then snatched it all away. Not that Parker was like a dog or anything.

He picked up the phone and realized her didn't have Sophie's home number. He dialed her cell phone, praying that she would pick up.

"You ignorant fool, what did you do?" Sophie snapped as soon as she picked up.

"Parked snooped and I yelled. I need to see her. Can you bring her back?" Eliot begged.

"No. She's curled up on this seat and she won't move. Whatever you did, I think you made her insane," Sophie snapped back.

"Please, Sophie." Eliot pleaded, "I can't leave it like that."

"…Eliot, it might just make things worse," Sophie replied, her voice gentle. Then the line went dead. Eliot yelled curses into the empty apartment, hurling the phone at the wall. A few tenants came to his door to complain, and he told them where they could go and slammed the door in their faces.

He threw on a jacket and sweatpants, and hurried outside. He ran. And ran. And ran. For almost 4 hours, he ran. He was two towns over by the time he stopped. He figured he just wouldn't go back.

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><p><strong>Uh oh! Can I get at least 3 reviews before I continue? :D xx<strong>


	5. can we sift through this mess?

Parker refused to move. When she and Sophie had arrived at Sophie's house, she had went to the armchair by the window, and stared out of it for over 6 hours. She refused to eat, refused to drink. Even when her wounds hurt so bad she thought she was going to die she wouldn't move.

Parker didn't even know why. She'd been hurt all her life. She guessed that it was because for once, something had gone right. It hadn't been ripped away. Until now. Yes, Manning had hurt her in ways she couldn't bear to think about, but Eliot had taken her to his home, fixed her, took care of her. And she went through his things, delved into the life he'd tried so desperately to forget. He had all the reason in the world to hate her now.

"Parker, honey, would you please eat something? Just a peanut butter and jelly? Some crackers?" Sophie begged, appearing in front of her. She shook her head no. She only wanted food from Eliot. From his skilled hands. She fought the tears until Sophie finally left. With searing wounds and a hungry, cramped stomach, she fell asleep with a heavy mind, and a heavy heart.

...

Weeks went by. No Eliot. Parker was eating, but not coping. Weeks turned into months, months turned into years. 3 years of pain. Eliot never returned. The Leverage team split up a year and a half ago, due to the loss of Eliot and a severely depressed Parker. Parker had tried therapy, but ended up punching out the therapist and getting four months in jail for an assault charge.

She got a job at a cheap rock climbing business and got paid minimum wage. She had a shitty, run-down apartment in a horrible neighborhood, and could barely keep living there. You could see her ribs now, from the lack of eating.

"You should get food stamps," Fred said to her as she walked into the offices today. Fred earned a punch in the nose for that.

Parker sat down on the bench in the locker room, tying up her shoes, sniffing from the cold she'd acquired from the harsh winter weather. She wore no makeup, her hair was long and stringy, and her nails were mangled and bitten and bloody. Parker had dark circles under her eyes from only getting about two hours of sleep a night. She was sore all of the time, and most days contemplating a box on the highway. Her apartment didn't have heating, so it wouldn't be much of a difference.

"Here, you look like one of those kids in Africa," her co-worker, Miranda, told her, holding out a McDonald's bag. Parker took it greatfully, wolfing down the biscuit.

"I don't know if I can keep doing this, Andy," Parker said, wadding up the bag and tossing it into someone's open locker.

"He's going to come back," Miranda said, her voice confident. Not as confident as it had been a year ago.

"I don't have money for food, I live in the shiftiest neighborhood in Boston, and I can barely pay rent each month. It's not much about him anymore," Parker said, her voice thick. Thick with the tears she no longer let fall, with the words she wanted to scream to the world, with the pain and loneliness. With her suffering and misery.

Miranda took her hand and squeezed it lightly, then exited the locker room. Parker sat for a minute more, her head buried in her hands. She sat up, took a deep breath, then followed Miranda out of the locker room. A family of four and a married couple waited, clad in all their gear. Parker got stuck with the overly-cheerful tourist-type soccer mom family. Of course.

"It's our little Sharon's birthday today, and she wants to learn how to rock-climb!" The father informed Parker. Parker gave him a fake smile.

"Alright, Sharon, I'm just going to teach you some of the basics, and then you can do the rest from there."

...

The day was excruciatingly long, and Parker came to her heat-less apartment, shivering and sore. She really needed to get a part-time job.

Parker had just curled up on the sofa with about ten blankets and her book when the buzzer rang about twenty times. Only when the person spoke did Parker bolt over to the intercom.

"Sophie?" Parker asked breathlessly.

"Parker, can you please let me in? It's cold and I think a lot of the people out here want to kill me," Sophie's voice crackled through. Parker buzzed her in, and she let Sophie into her apartment a minute later.

Sophie pulled her in for a tight hug, and Parker felt her eyes well up with tears.

"My god, you're skinny," Sophie commented, pulling away to study Parker.

"Getting paid minimum wage does that to you," Parker replied, "Why are you here?"

Sophie shrieked a little when a cockroach skittered past her foot, and Parker smashed it with her foot.

"Your cell was out of service. Hardison, Nate, and myself were contacted for a job. We figured you had been too, but you never showed. Hardison tried to find you, but only ended up with this address. We all figured it was wrong, given the nature of this...area...but I ventured out here to give it a try. I'm disappointed that I was right. This place is a hell-hole, Parker," Sophie finished.

"What job?" Parker asked, ignoring the blows to her new lifestyle.

Sophie looked down at her feet, taking a deep breath, "Eliot needs our help."

...

Headquarters hadn't changed. It was dirtier than before, given the fact that Sophie hadn't been around to tidy things up, but it was relatively the same.

Parker was yanked into a bear-hug the moment she entered. She awkwardly patted Hardison's babbling frame. Though she'd gotten significantly better at communicating with normal human beings, she wasn't used to physical contact.

"We all missed you, girl. Even though we were all split up, we missed you." Hardison said, pulling away finally. She nodded absently, praying that Eliot wasn't here.

"Parker, it's good to see you," Nate said from the couch.

"You too," Parker muttered.

"Everyone ready?" Nate asked, and they nodded. Accept for Parker.

"Parker?" Sophie asked gently. Parker shrugged. Even though she wanted to scream, run from the room. Off the building. She'd rather stick a hot iron on her face that do this.

Nate let them into the office, which contained all of Hardison's old things. Parker wanted to rip her hair out and gauge out her eyeballs, get abducted by alien's and have her memory erased. There Eliot sat, unchanged, his hair the same length, that same goatee. Next to a beautiful woman. Holding a newborn baby. The woman was average height, with long black hair, the perfect tan body and fabulous clothes. Everything about her was perfection. Parker looked down at her 6-sizes too big sweats and ratty, stained tank top, groaning internally.

"I look like I just crawled out of a dumpster and she looks like she just walked off of a movie set. You really expect me to sit through this?" Parker whispered harshly to Sophie. Sophie gave her an apologetic look.

"I didn't know about all this. But hey, her boobs are fake, so at least she's not naturally perfect," Sophie tried to make her feel better. Parker just felt worse. If she could afford jugs that big, how many more stacks of cash did she have just sitting around? Through her jealousy, Parker tried to figure out why the woman looked so familiar. Her face, she'd seen it somewhere before.

Parker looked over uncomfortably. Eliot's eyes were on her, his expression pained. She really must've looked like trailer trash.

"James Manning is back. And he's been targeting my wife, Arden," Eliot explained. Arden. Even the perfect fucking name. Arden fit much better with Spencer than Parker did. Though that wasn't even her real name. She focused again on what he'd said. James Manning. She shuddered. She could practically feel the healed wounds rip open again at the thought of his name.

"Do you know any reason why he's trying to hurt your wife?" Nate questioned. Wife. Parker's heart burned at the words, like stomach acid after eating too many tacos.

"A year after...the accident...I tried to go after him. I guess he wants revenge," Eliot said, his eyes shifting to Parker. Parker looked away awkwardly, playing her finger game like she always did when she was nervous.

Suddenly, a thought hit parker. She realized why his wife looked so familiar. The girl in the picture. In the blue gown. In the black box under his nightstand. Her hair was a different color, but she had the same features. Exactly the same. Just older. Parker shot up from her seat, finding it suddenly hard to breath. She darted out of the office, ran into the bathroom and slammed the door, locking it. She was at the toilet in an instant, heaving her guts out, her mind spinning. Her vision was blurry, and she passed out, her head thunking onto the floor.

"Parker? Parker, can you hear me?" She distantly heard Sophie calling for her.

"Go away," Parker groaned.

"Parker, please, can you open your eyes?" Sophie asked. Parker reluctantly opened her eyes. An array of faces surrounded her, studying her.

"Go away, get out assholes!" Parker barked. Then she remembered that she was at Nate's, with the team back together. And _Arden_. Parker made a face at the name.

"Are you alright? Do you need something to eat?" Sophie asked in worry. Parker swatted away Sophie's hands, which probed her temples and brushed away her scraggly hair.

"No, I'm fine," Parker replied. Food would've been nice. But eating would show them that she lived like hell and the only food she'd had in three days was a shitty, fast-food biscuit. She wouldn't let them see her weakness. She wouldn't let _Eliot _see her weakness.

Parker sat up and crawled off the sofa.

"We have a job, remember?" She reminded them. The team shared a look, but followed her back into the office. Arden glared at her as she passed, and Parker fought the urge to hiss at her. She hadn't hissed at anyone in 3 years. She wasn't going to start that back up again.

"Okay, so Mrs. Spencer is being targeted by Manning. Any suggestions?" Nate asked. Parker wanted to tell them that if Manning didn't kill her, Parker would do the job herself. But that might cause some feelings to be hurt and that would mean too many emotions and blah, blah, blah.

"He knows all of our faces," Sophie reminded him.

"We could use her as bait," Parker suggested. Like fish bait. Where you let the fish eat the bait but get hooked at the same time. Kill the bait and hook the bastard who did it. Perfect plan.

"Parker, why would you even suggest that? He would kill her in an instant," Eliot growled. Parker raised her brows.

"And?" She replied.

"Parker!" Sophie scolded.

"What? I learned from a wise homeless man digging in my dumpster that you have to make sacrifices. I mean, he was talking about me giving him my bra for warmth, but I mean, that was some good advice," Parker said, shrugging. They all gave her the look. Yes, the "you've-got-problems" look.

"Parker, just..." Eliot trailed off.

"What? Just go take a walk? You'll deal with me later? Ship me off to go live with Sophie?" Parker questioned, her eyebrows raised. Eliot looked at her for a minute, his expression guilty. Sophie had her head down, and the rest of the team was silent.

"I thought we were coming up with a plan to not get me killed?" Arden asked brattily, oblivious to the moment the team was having. She had a heavy Italian accent that made Parker want to cut her horrible American tongue out, and knock Arden's pretty little head off.

"Yes, yes," Nate said. Parker was silent for the rest of the meeting, staring at the patterns on the ceiling. She dared not move her chair. She spun around in her chair the day that met about Manning. The day Eliot watched her, wanting her. Parker squeezed her eyes shut, trying to not let the memories get to her.

Everyone was getting up, and Parker quickly stood up, ready to get back to the normalcy of her apartment, to her job and Miranda and Fred with his newly broken nose. Which she really needed to remember to apologize for.

"You aren't going back to that dive you live in," Sophie told her.

"Yes I am," Parker argued. She hated that Sophie always thought she needed to protect her.

"Parker, you have no food, no heating, fugitives milling about the place, and a mattress for a bed. You aren't going back there," Sophie commanded. Parker huffed, embarrassment settling in. She could feel the eyes of her teammates on her. She was vulnerable. Weak. Poor. Ugly.

"Stop trying to fuck around in my life Sophie. You told me what to do once and I was almost tortured to death," Parker said angrily, her voice raising.

"I made a mistake, one I'll never forgive myself for making. But I also won't make that again. If you go back there, it's like sending you back to that warehouse with Manning," Sophie replied, her voice pleading now.

Parker was now filled with her ache for her home. She just wanted to curl up on her mattress, under all of her blankets, and cry and shout at the unfairness of everything. She wanted to go climb her stupid plastic rocks and help a stupid birthday girl not slip up. She wanted to go back and never buzz Sophie in, just let Sophie buzz all damn night long.

Parker stormed past Sophie, slamming Nate's door behind her. She wished she'd remembered her coat at home. Judd, the convict in the apartment next to her, had given it to her for a pair of socks that belonged to Parker. It was his creepy murderous fetish.

"Parker," his voice called out to her. She stopped short, fighting back the tears. She wouldn't let herself cry in front of him.

"What?" Parker snapped, not turning around. It was funny how a little snooping had got them to this point.

"Come stay with us, me and Arden, just until the con is over," Eliot whispered, now right behind her. Parker whirled around, taking two steps back.

"Aren't you worried that I'll snoop around your house? Go through your underwear drawer?" Parker mocked, her voice icy. Eliot shook his head.

"Please," he begged, his eyes pleading. Parker loved his eyes. She suddenly wanted him to smile. He had a family now, probably some awesome ass job, all the things he'd secretly wanted. He deserved to smile. She'd do anything to make that smile come back.

"Okay," she gave in. She was graced with a smile, and she ached all over, wanting so badly to be Arden. But she wasn't. And she never would be.

**Omg you guiz. This chapter makes even me sad! But it's going to get happier, I promise! Can I get four reviews? :)**

**-Holly :D**


	6. bittersweet, that's what they'll say

Parker winced as she climbed into Eliot's black SUV, her hangnail snagging on her pants and ripping off.

Arden and Eliot and the baby, whose name was Priscilla, sat up in the front. Eliot and Arden chatted about Arden's new stupid movie deal. Parker wanted to slam the textbook on the seat next to her over Arden's head.

"I think that John will come around though. He saw Priscilla. He'll have to pay me now that he knows I am with child," Arden was saying to Eliot. Eliot nodded, and grabbed Arden's hand in a way that looked like he didn't even think about it anymore.

"Where do you work, Parker?" Arden asked her suddenly. Parker blinked at her for a moment.

"A rock climbing business," Parker replied. Arden nodded slowly. Parker could see the smirk being fought on her stupid face. Eliot, however, was smiling.

"I figured it would be somewhere with heights," Eliot said. Parker wrinkled her nose. Eliot talked like...like a _dad_ now. He didn't have his rough form of speaking, he always had this stupid fatherly look on his face. He was different. A family man now. _Or a pussy_, Parker thought. She let out a chortle, which caused Arden to shoot her a look.

The car stopped, and Parker looked up at the gorgeous, multi-million dollar mansion towering over them. Parker wished she had a bomb.

When they got inside, Arden had a smirk on her face, and Parker had to turn away before she made sure Arden no longer had a mouth. The inside looked like a palace. Parker wanted to rip her hair out. She really missed her apartment.

Arden took Priscilla, and Eliot led her to the guest room, which was about as big as Parker's entire apartment. The bed was as big as her kitchen, and Parker sighed.

"You think you'll survive?" Eliot joked. Parker didn't laugh.

"I hope so," Parker muttered. She heard Eliot sigh.

"Parker, what happened that night-"

"It's in the past. Whatever. I got my life together, and so did you. Great, oh joyful day, let's go ring some bells and bake a cake." Parker finished sarcastically.

"You didn't get your life together. From what Sophie said, you practically live in a box," Eliot growled. She felt her knees weaken at that voice. The old voice. From the past, their old lives.

"I've been doing fine, okay? I don't need anyone to help me. I don't need pity or charity or whatever. I can go sleep on my mattress and snuggle with my cockroaches and do just fine."

"Parker, you're not fine. Not by a long shot. And I did it. I made you this way. I ruined everything. And I can never make up for that. But I want to help you. I want us to be friends again," Eliot replied.

"Don't you get it? We can never be friends. We never were. We were acquaintances and then we had a thing. A thing that both of us knew would never work. Our lives didn't work like that then. That's why everything fell apart. Not just because I looked in some stupid box at some dumb picture," Parker snapped.

"Is that all it was to you? A thing? Just a few kisses and some hospitality? I botched up something potentially life-changing or whatever people say shit like that is. I loved you and you loved me. I lost control because of some snooping and that was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made," Eliot replied angrily, "It was my fault what happened. But we can't go change it now. You're right, we do have lives and other people in them-"

"You have other people," Parker cut him off.

Eliot rolled his eyes and continued, "But it doesn't have to be bitter and angry between us. We can be friends if we just tried."

"You talk like it's so easy. Like we can just go back, herp derp. It's not that easy. I have my life and I have my job and I climb plastic rocks all day and blah, blah, blah. But I can't let go and I can't forget it happened. I haven't forgotten for 3 years. It's hard to do the daily things. I talk to people at work and that's it. I don't have friends, I don't have some hot piece of ass and a stupid kid. And yeah, it _sucks_ all the time, that everything I've ever wanted just crashed and burned, and seeing you with the life I wanted makes me want to slam a hot frying pan into my brain, but I'll get over it. And I'll do my job and I'll freeze to death next door to a convicted felon who wants my socks and that's fine. I was fine. And I will be again when this stupid con is over and you and your stupid perfect wife and kid and life are gone," Parker finally finished. She realized she was crying now, and she turned to the window.

"Wait, who wants your socks?" Eliot asked suddenly.

"My neighbor who killed people for their socks," Parker replied in a voice that said "no-big-deal", sniffling. Eliot nodded as if it were the most normal thing in the world, then started talking again.

"Parker, I can't even think about what you've lived like for the past 3 years or what you went through, but I want to be a part of your life. I want us to be friends. I want you to be able to talk to me. Hell, you can move here if you want," Eliot replied.

"I can't," Parker said, "It hurts worse than the things Manning did to me, everyday. And seeing you with Arden and all of..._this_, it just makes it hurt worse."

Suddenly Eliot was hugging her. Parker flung her arms around the muscular man, wishing she could kiss him.

"You should get some sleep," Eliot said when they pulled a part. He kissed her forehead, then left her room. Parker touched her forehead, her skin tingling. The remainder of the con was going to be even harder now that she'd felt those lips again. Felt how solid he was. Parker sat on the squashy bed, rubbing her temples. Shit.

...

The next day, Parker went back to her apartment, grabbing her usual pair of black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a blood splotch and some dirt stains on it. A bothersome hole was right on the collar, and Parker played with the stringy fringe of the ripped material.

When they arrived at headquarters, Parker tied up her hair, sitting down the wait for Sophie and Nate.

"We've got a location on Manning. Now, we are using Arden as bait. But the _second _something seems fishy, we go in, get her, and clear out. We don't need any casualties today," Nate instructed them.

"But...what's the plan?" Hardison asked. They all looked at Nate expectantly. He sighed.

"Arden is bait, what does that usually mean?" Nate asked as if they were kindergarteners.

"That she dies," Parker said bluntly.

"No, Parker, nobody dies," Nate said in annoyance.

"Does she really have to work with us?" Arden asked, her eyes wide with slight fear. Parker rolled her eyes. Eliot gripped Arden's hand and glared at Parker.

"The _plan _is that Arden sits outside the coffee shop near her and Eliot's home. We wait, because Manning and his men will be watching. They'll take her, we follow, and go in and Eliot will bash some heads, Hardison, you'll go with him, and we'll get Arden. Manning will run, but while Eliot and Hardison go in, Parker and I will stash money, guns, and and 'unconcious' Sophie in the trunk of his car. We'll give an anonymous tip to the police, and they'll take it from there," Nate explained. Everyone nodded, "Let's go steal Manning."

...

Parker was nervous. She was never nervous. A little jittery sometimes, but never nervous. Eliot could get hurt today. That scared her. She took a deep breath.

Arden was across the street sipping at some coffee. Parker was hiding out in Hardison's van.

Eliot and Nate had their backs to Arden and were pretending to sip coffee and admire the view. Sophie and Hardison were in the van with Parker.

"They're here," Sophie murmured into the coms. Nate discreetly turned to look at the Range Rover that just pulled up. Two buff men got out and went to Arden, speaking to her quickly. She got up and followed them to their car, her expression terrified.

Eliot and Nate rushed to the van when the Rover pulled away. Hardison floored it until we were a reasonable distance from them, and then he sharked them until they pulled up in front of a group of windowless homes in the middle of nowhere. Hardison parked far away, behind an abandoned rest stop.

"Let's go," Eliot said roughly, about to jump out of the car. Nate held him back.

"Not yet, they can't know we're here," he said. Eliot looked pissed, but he nodded.

The team waited for about five minutes, and then they made their move. Parker's heart was thudding in her chest. She went numb. She was about to face her attacker, a cruel, vile man. She picked the locks of the doors, and watched Eliot and Hardison disappear into the darkness.

...

**Cliffy! Lol sorry. I had to :P can I get four reviews my loves? :)**

**-Holly :)**


	7. let's go back to the start

**Grtjgkzalhjwmb I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update, guys! I was in Maui, and then I had to go to my aunt's and **_**then **_**my grandma's house, which was a gag-worthy experience. As usual. But I'm back! There's going to be one more chapter of this story, and then an epilogue, and then it'll be completed! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing accept my plot, that filthy little mudblood Arden, and her stupid baby.**

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><p>Parker cringed, her lips pulled into a pouting fashion. Eliot and Hardison needed to hurry the mother fuck up. Parker's hands were sweating like crazy; her heart hammering in her chest.<p>

The frail blonde narrowed her eyes at the building, where a sudden commotion was rising. Too much crashing and screaming was coming from the inside, but Nate told her that Eliot knew exactly what he was doing. Screw that. Eliot had been dicking around with his twat of a wife and little shit kid that never seemed to stop crying. Parker wasn't convinced with Nate's [not so] reassuring comments.

A gun. A _gun _was sitting on the table right in front of her, easily accessible. Parker eyed Nate who was floundering around the van like a drunken son of a bitch and Sophie was watching the building with a hand on her hip. Then she grabbed it and hid it in her jacket. _Strictly for safety_, she told herself. _Okay and maybe creepy sock fetishist_.

Parker hated the team now. Sophie wasn't all sweet and caring unless she was trying to prove herself that she was around her friends, and even then she had her stupid hand on her stupid hip like she was hot shit and Nate just trolled around doing nothing. Hardison was relatively unchanged. Still annoying and all that, but a good, kind friend and the biggest loser Parker had ever met. Which she admired him for. She wouldn't be able to be that weird without someone locking her up somewhere.

Suddenly, the door banged open and gunfire was blazing, and fists were going everyone and Parker was unbelievably _turned on _by Eliot's flying hands and no shirt and damn. Parker could've passed out if Manning hadn't flapped over to her screaming like a fucking little girl. She would've told him to get a grip if she didn't have a gun pointed in his face. Somehow, he ended up a headlock, by none other than Parker, and a gun pointed at his temple and she was screaming like a fucking banshee, her mind hazy. She'd worked a gun a thousand times before but she'd never legit _killed _anyone before. Maybe took out an eye or two, but still.

"You better calm the fuck down _right fucking now _or this bitch's brains will be your mess to clean up!" was all Parker caught coming out of her mouth. The rest she tuned out of, her mouth working on its own accord.

"Parker, honey, put down the gun," Sophie was begging in that I-really-hate-you-but-I-want-friends voice of hers.

"Would you shut up, Sophie? You've done nothing but bitch at me like a stupid little witch for the past few days and this man is a sickening creep and I think I'd rather have to bathe my serial killer neighbor than put this gun down," Parker blathered on, gritting her teeth. Manning was crying like a whiny baby and she barely heard her telling him to shut up before the shot went off and sprayed blood all over her clothes because he _wouldn't shut up_. Parker was amazed when she looked at the gun, realizing she wasn't the one who fired the shot.

A man with stringy black hair and scary facial tattoos was grinning and Parker was holding the gagging and spluttering Manning, supporting him and actually _brushing his hair out of his face _as his lungs filled with his own blood. Her hands were dirt and blood caked and covered in cuts, her nails mangled and dirty, but he seemed to calm slightly as he felt her hands stroking his hair.

Parker didn't even know what she was doing, but she knew that no matter who the person and no matter the fact that he sliced up her body at one point, no one should die feeling like they were alone choking on their own bodily fluids.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay…" Parker couldn't stop the tears that streaked down her dirt-covered cheeks. She'd seen this too many times before in her neighborhood, too many children dying cold and alone and pumped up with drugs and gagging on their own fluids and it sickened Parker.

She registered that the entire place was quiet, minus the bastards who'd gotten in their cars and got the hell out of dodge, but Manning was dying and he was groaning and she could feel his pain, feel that agony lacing around every nerve in his body and Parker wanted to do something but she _couldn't_.

"Tell…t-tell Cas-Cassand...ra…that I-I'm sor-s-sorry for…for…s-sc-screwi…ng…up a-and…I-I l-love…her…te-tell my m-mother th-that it…it's g-onna be…be o-okay…"and then the light was gone and he was dead and Parker was screaming and she realized she punched Sophie in the face because Sophie tried to take her away, but this man died thinking his mother hated him and Manning didn't have the chance to tell her that it wasn't his mother's fault and that she wasn't the one who screwed up.

Parker would let her know. And the letter poking out of Manning's pocket told her before Parker even read it that he was going to die soon whether the team got to him or not.

She pulled it out with bloody fingers, her hands shaking. Eliot had kneeled down next to her, and the hole in her chest felt like someone just set it on fire. The pain from the past three years was suddenly flowing in, her stomach aching unbearably from the hunger and the hole where her heart used to be burned like bonfire. She couldn't stop her tears and she wanted to use this fucking gun on herself because she didn't want to live alone anymore.

And suddenly, she got it together, stood up, and walked to the van. She didn't know what happened, the tears just stopped and she remembered where she was and who she was and _Parker doesn't cry_.

"We'll have to put him somewhere," was what Sophie was saying and then she tried to comfort Parker and Parker hit her again and didn't feel the slightest bit bad about it.

She was immobile until Hardison started up the van.

She was suffocating.

Falling.

_Disappearing._

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><p>Eliot watched her closely. She'd showered, pulled on her now washed clothes, and stared out the window, out at the woods behind the mansion.<p>

He chewed on the inside of his cheek nervously. Eliot was giving her space, giving her time before he told her he'd signed the divorce papers as soon as the three got to his home. They'd been laying on the kitchen counter for weeks, neither Arden or Eliot making a move to sign them.

Until now.

Until he found out that little shit of a child wasn't _his_. Priscilla was spoiled rotten just like her mother and never let Eliot touch her unless Arden was the one who gave Priscilla to him.

It was his wife's producer's child. They'd apparently been sleeping together since the week after Eliot and Arden married. Eliot was sickened. He knew Parker heard the screaming as he kicked Arden and the baby out, cutting her off from his accounts. Eliot had known since day one that Arden was only in the relationship for sex and money. It sickened him, but he who he thought was his child to have a good life. And look at how _that_ turned out.

"Is there any specific reason why you're lurking around the doorway?" Parker asked, cutting into his thoughts. He'd been too deep in thought to notice she'd turned around and spotted him.

"I'm sorry, I was checking to see if you were okay," Eliot muttered.

"You've been standing there staring at the ceiling for five minutes," Parker pointed out with a knowing look.

"Fucking…whatever," Eliot growled. Suddenly Parker was smiling like crazy woman, and Eliot knit his brows, "What?"

"You just…nothing." The smile disappeared and she turned back to the window, "You're getting a divorce."

"Yeah," Eliot replied, crossing his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway.

"Why?"

"Priscilla wasn't mine…and neither was Arden." Parker looked at him with tired eyes, nodding.

"That sucks," was her response. And it made Eliot smile.

"Let me take you out to dinner," Eliot said suddenly. Parker turned to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"You just got a divorce."

"Papers have been sitting there for three months now."

"Priscilla."

"Not mine."

"I snooped."

"I overreacted."

"_Fine_."

"Okay," Eliot finished with that familiar smile on his face; the one Parker had missed dearly.

Then it registered to her.

_She was going to dinner with Eliot Spencer_.

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><p><strong>I know it was short, but I got sort of blocked towards the end...awwww, those two going to dinner! Okay, one chapter and an epilogue to go! :D Can I get four reviews please? <strong>

**xx-**

**Holly.**


	8. and maybe some endings are happy

**Oh hello! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a gazillion trillion years! I started my freshman year in high school this year and the workload has been INTENSE. Tonight is one of the rare nights that I don't have heaps of homework, so I decided to update! Anyhow, onwards!**

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><p>Parker pursed her lips as her eyes scanned over the menu before her, silently pondering the reason why there was a soup that was over twenty bucks. Eliot obviously either wanted to make an impression, or just had really expensive taste.<p>

"See anything you like?" Eliot asked, brushing the hair that had loosened from his neat ponytail out of his face.

"Besides the thirty dollar cheese sticks? Nothing, unless you don't mind paying my entire paycheck for the soup," Parker replies. Eliot chuckled lightly, taking a sip of his wine. Parker narrowed her eyes. "I'm serious. I'm not letting you pay truckload of money for an appetizer."

"It's fine, Parker, really. I picked here for a reason," Eliot replied, smiling. Parker sighed, noting the name of some semi-cheap pasta dish before folding up the menu and placing it next to her.

"Where do you work?" Parker asked suddenly. Eliot cocked his head to the side, scanning her face with his warm, blue eyes.

"I coach a national wrestling team," Eliot responded, licking his lips quickly. Parker nodded. That explained a lot of the money. Added with Arden's, they had to have been loaded.

"I figured it would be something with hitting," Parker mocked his words from the other day, smiling gently. Eliot chuckled, letting a small smile grace his lips. "The rock climbing place where I work is fun. Even though I get paid minimum wage and little kids pee on themselves everyday."

"Kids peeing on themselves typically aren't fun," Eliot said with a laugh.

"Have you guys decided on your meals?" The rather tall, chirpy-voiced waiter appeared at their table, scribbling down their orders quickly and scuttling away. Eliot turned back to Parker after the waiter disappeared into the mass of tables, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Why didn't you date? You know, after the fight?" Eliot asked. Parker grabbed a piece of bread out of their basket, ripping off a small chunk and dipping it in butter as to stall her answer.

"There never was an opportunity," Parker replied finally. "I was always busy trying to make rent and getting food every couple of days. It was never really one of my concerns."

"I never meant for any of this to happen," Eliot grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Parker grabbed his hand, opening her mouth to console him but came up with nothing comforting to say. She opted for squeezing his hand and releasing it quickly, awkwardly staring down at her empty salad bowl.

"I never should've gone through your things. I had no right and if you had done that to me, I would've reacted how you did as well," Parker mumbled eventually. Eliot looked up at her with a poignant expression.

"No you wouldn't have. You were, and still are, too good of a person. Something as simple as looking through several stupid pictures would've been dismissive to you," Eliot argued, "I caused you to essentially starve to death, in addition to living in a box next to fugitives. It was the whole reason for team splitting up. All because you saw some pictures. I ruined everything, Parker. I stole three years of your life that you could've been happy from you."

Parker sighed, rolling her eyes, "Okay, you know what? Get up."  
>Eliot raised an eyebrow, not moving.<p>

"_Get. Up. _We are _not _going to sit in this expensive-ass restaurant and have a stupid little pity party for you. Yeah, you fucked up some lives but didn't we already do that _anyway_? Jesus, Eliot, get a fucking grip and get over the fact that you made some bad decisions!" Parker burst out, standing up promptly and grabbing his arm to lug him up. Eliot stumbled after her as she rushed out of the bistro, tossing a couple bills on their table at the last second.

"Parker, where are you going?" Eliot growled, hurrying after her quick-moving figure.

"To the movies. Dammit, you are taking me to a movie and then guess what? We're going to eat some damn junk food because you know why? That's what I want to do, okay?" Parker snapped.

"Parker-"

"_No_. We're going to go see the second part of that depressing wizard movie and we're going to shove our faces with greasy ass popcorn, then go to some fucking gas station and get chips or some shit and explode with fucking corpulence, _okay?_" Parker began to garrote out her words, those damn traitor tears welling in her eyes. Eliot pulled her into his arms as she cried her arbitrary rush of tears, sniffling and garbling incoherent things into his spotless white shirt.

"We'll go see the movie, okay? And then we'll go and get fat at whatever places you would like," Eliot mumbled into her clipped-back curls, rubbing her back. Parker nodded, turning away awkwardly.

As the two headed to his car, Parker felt butterflies shoot around in her stomach as his warm hand grasped her own, using her free hand to rub away the remnants of her spasmodic burst of emotion.

The drive was quiet, and Parker noted the yielding smile on Eliot's face, which stayed there until they pulled into the parking lot of the predominantly empty theater.

"Which movie did you say?" Eliot asked, knitting his brows and staring at the movie posters for a long moment.

"The sad one," Parker replied, bouncing her leg. Even now, the deliberation of a film couldn't cease to excite her.

"Parker, there's like, fifty sad ones," Eliot countered gruffly, causing a sly smile to appear on Parker's lips. She quickly hopped out of the sedan, walking backwards towards the theater.

"Come one, Spencer, let's go make some _magic_," Parker giggled, a slight skip to her step. Eliot cocked a brow, one hand still resting on the steering wheel as he scrutinized her from the open door.

"_That's _the best you can do? Pathetic, Parker, pathetic," Eliot shot back, rolling his eyes. Parker emitted a vociferous laugh, gliding out of her slip-ons and punting them someplace towards the middle of the parking lot. When Eliot climbed out of the car, Parker took off en route for the theater, laughing raucously the entire way.

"Eat dust, Spencer!" She called back jokingly with a laugh, speeding up as she heard his heavy footfalls racing behind her. She feigned surprise once he caught her around her middle, swinging her around as if she weighed absolutely nothing (close to it, most likely).

"Gotcha," he murmured in her ear, the loose hair from his ponytail tickling her cheek.

"I missed you," she said quietly, biting her lip. Eliot rested his chin on the top of her head, sighing.

"You can't even imagine how much I wished I could go back and just stay with you, rather than running," Eliot muttered. Parker snorted.

"Way to sound about as straight as a circle," Parker blurted. Eliot stared at her for a moment, then began to laugh, a gruff, rather pleasing sound. Like the _old _Eliot. And that smile. _The _smile. _Her _smile.

"Let's go hop in to the 'magic', crazy," Eliot replied with a quick eye-roll, following her to one of the back entrances.

"One of these days, I'm going to make you properly pay for my ticket," Parker muttered, then paused. "Scratch that. Just steal something good for me."

When the two reached the theater, Parker easily chose the third row, kicking up her feet. Eliot plopped down next to her, snorting.

"You just have the best manners," Eliot joked, and Parker punched his arm, rolling her eyes.

As the lights dimmed and the previews began, Parker stood quickly and plopped right into Eliot's lap, laughing quietly. Eliot shook his head with a swift roll of his eyes, but said nothing, arms tightening around her waist, kissing her cheek softly. Blue eyes sparkled and cheeks flushed. Like 16-year-old virgins holding hands.

Parker couldn't have asked for anything more.

_[Movies really are something like magic]_

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><p>"Don't be such a dipshit, Hardison. Why would bottles be in the <em>laundry room<em>?" Parker cried out in exasperation, bouncing the fidgeting toddler on her knee, rubbing little Clarisse's back.

"Do I look like part of the vagina squad to you? Damn, no respect, just none…" Hardison sighed as he hurried to the fridge. Parker rolled her eyes, leaning down to Clarisse's ear.

"Isn't Uncle Hardison a dipshit? Yes, of course, I knew you'd agree," Parker whispered in the blue-eyed, blonde-haired child, a smile gracing her lips.

"Fuck, Hardison, are you blind _and _stupid?" Eliot growled, yanking the bottle from Hardison's hand with a glare, tossing his hair behind his head.

Eliot grinned as he sat on the chair opposite Parker, handing her the bottle.

"She's sleeping better," Parker murmured as she fed Clarisse, glancing up at her husband.

Eliot kissed her cheek gently, ruffling Clarisse's curls.

"You ready, darlin'?" Eliot asked, and Parker nodded. Parker passed off the toddler to Sophie, who just stepped into the dining room.

"We'll be back, sweetheart," Parker said and kissed Clarisse's cheek.

"Usual?" Eliot question when the two reached the car. Parker nodded with a wide grin.

"I think _The Rum Diary _sounds like a good choice," she giggled. "And funyuns…oh my god, we need funyuns."

Eliot laughed, pulling her to him and giving her a light kiss, brushing her blonde bangs out of the bright blue orbs staring up at him.

"I think that's a _perfect _choice."

_[A good choice, it was.]_

**El fin.**

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><p><strong>Oh you guys…it's done! My first multi-chapter story has been completed! :'D it wasn't the greatest ending and it was fast, I'll admit…but it was still cute as a button, okay? c: So…please review and tell me what you thought!<strong>

**-Holly [super-fast ending extraordinaire] **


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